


Ribbons

by melonbutterfly



Category: Star Trek RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-12
Updated: 2009-12-12
Packaged: 2017-10-13 00:07:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/130657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melonbutterfly/pseuds/melonbutterfly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Orchestra AU, in which Chris plays violin and Zach the piano)<br/>Chris has a present for Zach.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ribbons

"Hey, LaQueento!" Chris called as he filtered into the rehearsal room. In the hall already he had heard Zach tinkling a simple melody on the piano; either he was bored and trying to pass the time, or in the very early stages of composing a song.

"Princess Whitelaw," Zach replied absent-mindedly, staring at the ebony keys of the piano. Composing it was, then. Then, suddenly, he looked up, raised one eyebrow and said "or would you rather be the bitch in this relationship? We can't all be royal, after all. We could give you the stripper-name Christal if you like."

"The only thing royal about you is the pain in the ass you are," Chris retorted, leant his violin-case against the wall and pushed at Zach's shoulder until he huffed and made room on the piano bench so Chris could straddle it next to him. "That's right," Zach agreed absently, once again away with the notes in his head, and Chris snuggled into his side and put his chin on his not-quite-boyfriend's shoulder, watching his long fingers slowly, almost tentatively push the keys. After he was sure that Zach wasn't really composing, just trying to ingrain a new melody into his head, he snuggled closer and nuzzled the hair behind Zach's ear. Zach let the F die away, his foot on the forte, the right pedal, and when the note had finally faded, he let go of both key and pedal and wrapped the arm Chris had been pressed against around his waist, tilting his body into him.

"Hm-m," Chris murmured apropos nothing, running his lips over the shell of Zach's ear and then nuzzling his cheek. "I have something for you," he said before he could chicken out. They had been balancing on the brink between friendship and romantically involved for a while now, neither quite daring to breach it, but Chris couldn't stand the tension anymore and found that it was time to do something about it. The chance that Zach would reject him was pretty low anyway, he told himself; never mind the fact that Zach had told him a couple of months ago that he had quite enough of relationships and wasn't going to consider one for at least a year.

"For me?", Zach mumbled, tilting his head to rub his cheek into Chris'.

"Yeah. It's Christmas soon, remember?" Chris pulled back, threw one last nervous glance at Zach, who was watching him curiously, and then reached into his pocket, pulling out a self-adhesive bow. Pulling away the foil, he didn't meet Zach's eyes again and stuck the bow on his lower lip. For the last five minutes, he had forced himself not to lick his lips by biting his tongue; it was a nervous habit of his that he had never quite managed to get rid of, but this time, he had had to at least temporarily.

He tilted his head and waited, not quite able to meet Zach's eyes.

It was quiet for a short moment, and then Zach asked quietly, "Chris?"

"There's another one," Chris replied carefully, nervous, just as quietly, and pulled up his shirt to reveal the ribbon he had tied around his chest earlier, a self-tied bow right on top of his heart. He waited, but not for long; Zach leaned into him, reaching with one hand, the tips of his fingers skidding up Chris' ribs until he reached the red-green striped ribbon, thumb rubbing over it. Chris took a shaky breath, staring at Zach's lips that were as close as they had never been before. "So… this is for me?", they slowly, carefully formed, and Chris nodded. The tip of Zach's tongue snaked out and wet his lower lip; Chris almost whimpered.

"Can I pull it off?", Zach then whispered, breath brushing over the ribbon, and Chris accidentally looked up to meet Zach's eyes. They were liquid; Chris had never really known what that metaphor was supposed to mean, but all of a sudden, he knew. He nodded again, and Zach took a shaky breath himself, then reached up and plucked the ribbon off Chris' lips, his other hand still warm on Chris' chest. It took another moment in which neither of them breathed, and then, at the same time, Chris twitched and Zach suddenly leant in, pushing their lips together. It should have been awkward, and perhaps it was; Chris didn't care though, and Zach probably didn't either. Neither of them deepened the kiss; they brushed and rubbed their lips into each other, changed the angle to try which they liked best, what fitted them and what didn't. They breathed each other's breaths, tasted it on their tongues, and then Zach pulled away, face earnest and honest and open. He waited another breath, and then he pulled at the end of the ribbon on Chris' chest, untying the bow; his eyes stayed fixed on Chris' the whole time. Only when the ribbon slipped away, he looked down; it almost felt like slow-motion as he bent down and pressed his lips onto the spot where the bow had been, warm and moist above his heart.

"Can I keep it?", he asked lowly, voice deep, and looked up at Chris again. Feeling a little breathless, almost faint, Chris nodded quickly, and Zach leant in to kiss him again. At the last moment, Chris quickly raised his hand and put his fingers on Zach's lips. "Wait," he gasped, then grinned, a mix of giddiness and nervousness still running high through his veins. "There's another ribbon."

Zach raised one eyebrow, lips twitching. "Oh?"

"Yes." Chris raised one eyebrow as well, then let his shirt fall down and instead reached for his jeans. When he started to open his fly and zipper, Zach made a disbelieving noise; when Chris pulled his boxers away and let him look into them to see where the third ribbon was, Zach started to laugh.

"I must admit, this isn't quite the reaction I was expecting," Chris said with a mock-pout; Zach giggled drunkenly and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close and burying his face in his shoulder.

"Well, if you're quite done, do go on," Chris continued archly and floppily slung his arms around Zach's shoulders. Zach, still giggling, pulled away a little to look him into the eye. "With what?", he asked, grinning widely, almost giddily.

"I believe you were busy kissing everywhere I put a ribbon-"

Zach started laughing again and cupped Chris' face with both hands. Still laughing, he pulled him into a kiss; it calmed him down quickly as he kissed again and again, as if all of a sudden, he couldn't get enough. "When-" kiss. "-I'm-" kiss. "-done-" kiss. "-here." kisskisskiss. Chris grinned widely, then demonstratively leant back on his hands, displaying himself. "Sure. It's all yours to play with."

And suddenly, Zach was serious; he nodded and breathed and said, voice suddenly sounding hoarse, "Chris-" as if he were starving or drowning or both. His hands were still cupping Chris' face, and his fingers flexed as he slid one of them up, thumb rubbing over Chris' cheekbone, while the other slid down to brush over his lips. He looked desperate all of a sudden, painful, but in a good kind of way.

Chris licked his lips instinctively and Zach twitched when his tongue accidentally brushed his thumb.

"If you have more ribbon," Zach said slowly, hoarsely, leaning in, "then I can tie them everywhere they need to be as well. So you can see what is yours."

Chris swallowed, cleared his throat and replied, voice barely above a whisper, "I kind of already know."

Zach closed the rest of the distance between them and said the next words into Chris mouth. "Merry Christmas, then."


End file.
